Paint removal advice

[Max Headroom]

I painted a 76 camino once and did it one panel at a time. I didn't sand down to primer but only far enough to get the panel smooth.
I wiped the panel twice with solvent to get the paper dust and oil/grease off and shot the panel with spray can primer. I had a had a friend who knew what he was doing shoot the top coat, in my driveway. I used a single stage enamel and wet sanded after about 30 days. Then I waxed the crap out of each section. The paint wasn't going to win any trophies but it was solid and looked pretty good. The paint lasted over two years until my mom T-Boned someone who ran a stop sign. (A whole nother story) The insurance totaled the camino and there wasn't enough left to buy back so I don't know how much longer the paint would have lasted but I bet another couple of years.

 

[Clutch]

Ok I'll chime in although most bases have already been covered. There are several ways to strip a vehicle. We've all heard of all of them. chemically which none of us want to do. It makes a mess, it gets in places you don't want it it's toxic, and it wouldn't be any good for your kids. 2 mechanically as in sand it off by the time you add up the cost of any decent sandpaper and the labor hours and you should count your labor hours you are way into cost overrun. Especially if the vehicle has any lacquer based products on it lacquer doesn't fully harden and therefore clogs the paper. Sandblasting not a good choice sandblasting creates heat and warps the panels then causing a lot more metal work to get the car ready for paint again. Soda blasting a good solid method and idea however it lowers the pH in any soil it gets in makes a mess kills vegetation and if the car is not properly prepped it will cause the new finished products to peel down the road you see Automotive etching primers are acid etch and what do we use baking soda for neutralizing acid therefore some paint manufacturers will not warranty their product over a surface that has been soda blasted. Wet blasting my method not that I'm trying to sell you but it is for mentioned here and yes I have the same basting pot that they used on Dennis Gage's pickup truck. Using glass media grounded in water there's no reason for containment they say it's dustless well not exactly you're still going to get a fine mist just like splashing with a pressure washer and therefore you should have some kind of containment don't recommend doing it in a wooden sheetrock garage but I would recommend it outside someplace you don't care about the grass or over plastic not a big deal also if you use the wet blast method every Automotive refinishing company in the United States will warranty their product over that surface and when you wet blast it actually lowers the temperature of the metal there for not warping it. Trust me I did my homework before I bought the equipment. and I've also been a body man since I was about 10 years old so I've seen it all and done it all and that's why I have what I have and I do what I do. as mentioned in one of my threads if you want the car done in your close enough that my truck will make it there without blowing up g-body guys get a discount you know what I'm saying.👍

 

[bob64]

I got to agree with clutch on the wet media method. l've seen the videos of this system an there fast an safe.

I've gone the strip a car with paint stripper, mad head ache when your coming down from the fumes. I've done the sand, soda, glass and nut media's, faster than sanding but they take alot of time also an yes panels warp. I've done the flapper wheels, DA and wire wheel, away to much time, an even they can warp panels (roof)

I will never strip a complete car again unless l hired or had a wet media system.

So to me you got 2 choices, 1) sand the cars paint down smooth, high build primer, sealer an paint. Or 2) wet media, buy, rent or hire. Clutch isn't far from you so???

 

[fleming442]

Maybe, we need to talk about my commission rate....🤔

 

[ItsnotaGN]

Whatever you do, don't try stripping it in a basement bathroom with aircraft stripper.🤔 My old neighbor across the street hired a dustless blaster to do several old gas pumps he was restoring. He had rock on the side of the house, after a couple days he was able to wash most of the debris into the rocks. But it left a really nice surface to prime, and the guy used rust inhibitor when he did it. Not the cheapest, but if you can have a guy come to you it seems worth it. I'm stripping my Monte with 36 grit, but it's only got the factory paint on it, if there was several layers I would bite the bullet and have it blasted. Plus Clutch is 1600 miles away from me...….

 

[Ribbedroof]

Aircraft stripper, preferably in a bathroom!

More seriously, it's messy and stinky, but works well.

Soda blasting is good as well.

DA......Loooooong time/lots of paper

 

[Ribbedroof]

It's called Wet Abrasive Blasting. I have used it and it is very, very effective yet still pretty safe. My friend patented the technology, then made some bad business decisions and a lot of other companies now use the technology. While it is by far the easiest way I have ever seen to strip a complete car to the metal in about six hours, the people doing it are expensive.

For reference, we had a guy come do top and bottom of a 70/72 Buick GS hood last week....$350

Now the owner of said hood can REALLY see what a rotten POS it is.....he paid $800 for it! Could have bought a Glastek for that

 

[pagrunt]

Could do it naturally & let rust take the paint off (along with the metal.)

 

[Bonnewagon]

Ever spill brake fluid on your fender? What happened? Right- it ruined the paint. Brake fluid is the best paint remover in the world! I stripped an entire 18' aluminum skiff last year and it worked great. Non-toxic and water soluble. I brushed it on and wrapped cheap plastic drop cloths over it so it would not evaporate. The years of paint wrinkled up and just scraped right off. I think I used maybe two gallons tops. Test it out on an inconspicuous spot and see how it works.

 

[83beater]

Put it on a grinder and Do! Work straight to bare metal!.is what I use at work